TMH Playlist | 1989 album by Taylor Swift

11/24/2014

October 27th this year, Taylor Swift released yet another album. Contrary to what other people thinks (that Taylor Swift isn't country but pop), she has finally gone pop "officially" with her latest and first official pop album, 1989 which is the year that she was born. I have always liked Taylor Swift because of her music--not minding whether she's country or pop because whatever, as long as it's good, I don't effing care what she or the people call her music.

1989 is Taylor Swift's fifth studio album and to be honest, I have never ever listened to her new album until today. Despite the fact that I really do love her music (I still don't consider myself as a Swiftie, even though I listened to all her 4 albums and cried when I wasn't able to go to her concert here in Manila this year), this was the first album I was not excited to listen to. First, because maybe I was just busy/pre-occupied; and second, because I got turned off when I found out that she pulled out all her albums from Spotify--which is basically my life now ever since we subscribed to their premium service. Really Taylor? I mean, I do get what she's saying,"that music is valuable and that music should be consumed in albums and albums should be consumed as art and appreciated"but all I can think about is that it's just a marketing strategy to make people buy her album and increase her hits on YouTube. Those were the reasons why the only song I've ever heard from her latest album is "Shake It Off".

However, because I like her music, I decided to finally check out her new album, the deluxe version. Oops, and FYI, her album comes with 13 different polaroid photos. It's a total of 65, but only 13 are included in each album. Let's get to the good part now. Here's the tracklist with credits:

Standard Edition:

Welcome to New York | Taylor Swift, Ryan Tedder

Blank Space | Taylor Swift, Max Martin, Shellback

Style | Taylor Swift, Max Martin, Shellback, Ali Payami

Out of the Woods | Taylor Swift, Jack Antonoff

All You Had to Do Was Stay | Taylor Swift, Max Martin

Shake It Off | Taylor Swift, Max Martin, Shellback

I Wish You Would | Taylor Swift, Jack Antonoff

Wildest Dreams | Taylor Swift, Max Martin, Shellback

Bad Blood | Taylor Swift, Max Martin, Shellback

How You Get the Girl | Taylor Swift, Max Martin, Shellback

This Love | Taylor Swift

I Know Places | Taylor Swift, Ryan Tedder

Clean | Taylor Swift, Imogen Heap

Deluxe Edition:

Wonderland | Taylor Swift, Max Martin, Shellback

You R In Love | Taylor Swift, Jack Antonoff

New Romantics | Taylor Swift, Max Martin, Shellback

I Know Places (Voice Memo)

I Wish You Would (Voice Memo)

Blank Space (Voice Memo)

At this moment, I can say that I have listened to this album for half a dozen times now. I kid you not, I have. Surprisingly, I loved but at the same time, hated her new album. Why? Because I noticed that apart from the "officially pop" announcement, Taylor Swift also has the indiepop (I would've said indie, but then again she is pop, so indiepop is more appropriate lol), electropop and dancepop style in her songs--yup, still pop. I love the album because it suited my music preference: indie, electropop and dancepop; I hate it because the old Taylor Swift from her previous 4 albums barely has any trace in this new album of hers. I also feel like it somehow lacks consistency, because again, in her previous albums, you can distinguish her style in all her songs--it's like a uniform, and that's one of the things I liked about her music and now, it's gone.

Most of her songs now uses electronic music instruments, making it sound more like indie pop and electro pop. I made a point to "classify" some of her songs and here's what I came up with:

Welcome to New York - pop, electro pop

Blank Space - pop, electro pop

Style (my favorite!) - pop, electro pop, indie pop; it also reminds me of Empire of the Sun's music

Out of the Woods - electro pop, indie pop; love the chant on the chorus part!

All You Had To Do Was Stay - pop, electro pop; now this sounds a little like her songs from album Red

Shake It Off - pop, dance pop

I Wish You Would (love this song too!) - pop, electro pop, dance pop

Bad Blood (rumored to be a song about Katy Perry) - pop, electro pop

Wildest Dreams (dreamy song. love it!) - pop; reminds me of her song Enchanted from her Speak Now album

How You Get the Girl - pop; another song that sounds a little like her songs from her album Red

This Love - love song, pop; now this sounds more like the Taylor Swift from her previous albums

I Know Places - pop; uses heavy melodies and autotune

Clean (apparently a collab with Imogen Heap!) - another love song

Wonderland - pop; now this sounds somewhat similar to We Are Never Getting Back Together from her album Red. Listen to the beats starting from the refrain up to the chorus part!

Don't get me wrong, I still love her music and this album is currently my obsession. Maybe I was just a little shocked from her 'transformation" because before, even though everyone thinks she is pop, there's still traces of country in her music. But now, most of her songs sound electro pop already--seems like she's riding the electronic music bandwagon--oh wait, she is pop now, so yeah, there goes my two cents....

What do you think of Taylor Swifts full transformation to pop? What are your favorite songs? :)